This invention relates to a method and apparatus for producing and dispensing hot beverages. More particularly the invention relates to a coffee dispenser for producing and dispensing hot coffee having a thick layer of foamed coffee on the surface of the liquid beverage.
A wide variety of coffee dispensers are presently available on the market. Such dispensing machines typically operate by combining a metered volume of hot water with a measured amount of particulate instant coffee in a suitable mixing bowl and dispensing the reconstituted coffee beverage into a cup or other container positioned below the bowl. While such conventional dispensing machines are adequate for preparing and dispensing conventional coffee beverages, they are not suitable for preparing or dispensing cappuccino-type coffee, that is coffee having foam on the surface of the beverage. Cappuccino-type coffee typically has been prepared heretofore by injecting steam into a separate portion of the coffee or into milk to froth that portion of the coffee or milk, with the frothed portion then being poured into a cup which has been partially filled with coffee beverage, with the frothed portion forming a layer of foam on the surface of the liquid beverage.